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Publication Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2002

Menlo Park: Santa Cruz Avenue 'traffic calming' measures need fixing, council admits

By Pam Smith

Almanac Staff Writer

Council members will spend a little more time in meetings this week to fix what they admit has proved a flawed design to calm traffic on Santa Cruz Avenue.

Council members called for two meetings, on May 28 and June 1, to reevaluate the Santa Cruz design.

"Obviously we could've looked at some of the details better than I think we did," said Councilwoman Mary Jo Borak.

A new lane configuration, a brick-colored bike lane, more crosswalks, and concrete islands in the medians and on the sides of the road were all meant to slow traffic and make the busy thoroughfare safer. But many people have loudly and passionately argued that it's made things more dangerous, as well as inconvenient.

"You're defeating the very purpose you're looking for," said Milton Borg. His grandchildren used to ride their bikes short distances, he said, but "my daughter's now using her three-ton SUV to bring her kids downtown."

Council members and city staff have been flooded with complaints like Mr. Borg's for about three weeks, since residents and other users of Santa Cruz noticed there was more to the project than simple repaving.

The council voted unanimously May 21 to stop the roadwork pending a council meeting Tuesday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

Mayor Steve Schmidt will also lead a "mayor's walk" down Santa Cruz Saturday, June 1. The public is invited to meet at Fremont Park, on the corner of University Drive and Santa Cruz Avenue, at 9 a.m.

More than 50 people filled the Council Chambers May 21, and more than half spoke, verbally pounding the council with passionate speeches, even showing photographs to illustrate their complaints.

"It was advertised as a resurfacing project. There's a lot more out there than new surface," said Father Patrick Michaels of St. Raymond Church.

Some demanded the entire project be uprooted to return Santa Cruz to its original state.

"You ought to scrape what's out there," said Elias Blawie.

Others said that parts of the project seemed to be working, but that it still had some major flaws.

Even Horace Nash, a resident who supported the project when it was approved last year, said that the "benefits are outweighed by unintended problems."

The one overwhelming consensus among the crowd and the council was that something needs to be done about the "bulb-outs."

"They eliminate the margin for error," said a Windsor Drive resident.

The concrete islands on the side of the road were intended to protect pedestrians crossing the street, and to stop cars from passing in the bike lane.

But pedestrians, cyclists, strollers and wheelchairs are forced closer to cars to go around the bulb-outs, just where the cars tend to move toward them to avoid concrete islands in the middle of the road.

Among other complaints: turns onto and off of Santa Cruz are more difficult, the concrete isn't visible, crosswalks are too numerous and end in odd places like people's driveways, and traffic lanes invite an accident by "snaking" between left-turn lanes, concrete islands and bike lanes.

The crowd wanted the bulb-outs taken out immediately, judging by the loud clapping and cheers when Councilman Nicholas Jellins suggested just that. One woman could be heard chanting, "take them all out."

But the council ultimately chose a more cautious approach after Ms. Borak noted that, though she was "not wild" about the bulb-outs, she was also not wild about wasting money if some were beneficial.

The council decided to stop the project and regroup to pare down the design while retaining the benefits of traffic calming. They also directed that workers make what is already on the street more visible. Temporary lane markers and flashing construction placards were put out last week.

An ad hoc committee, made up of staff members, resident Horace Nash, Mayor Steve Schmidt, Councilman Jellins, and three staff members, was created to come up with a recommendation by this week, said Transportation Manager Jamal Rahimi. Patrick Siegman, the consulting town and transportation planner who came up with the conceptual design, was out of town, said Mr. Rahimi, adding that he preferred not to comment on the consultant's performance.

The measures were meant to be a temporary solution until very expensive but more long-term measures, such as sidewalks, can be put in place.

E-mail Pam Smith at psmith@AlmanacNews.com.